Power amplification device and transmitter using it

ABSTRACT

A power amplification device includes a first power amplification unit having the positions of connectors thereof reversed, a second power amplification unit not having the positions of connectors thereof reversed, and a heat sink having a first flank thereof abutted on the heat radiation surface of the first power amplification unit, and having a second flank abutted on the heat radiation surface of the second power amplification unit. A transmitter using the power amplification device includes a plurality of power amplification devices, a distributor directly coupled to the input connectors of the power amplification devices, and a synthesizer directly coupled to the output connectors of the power amplification devices.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division of and claims the benefit of priorityunder 35 U.S.C. §120 from U.S. Ser. No. 12/352,787 filed Jan. 13, 2009,and claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 from JapanesePatent Application No. 2008-41370 filed Feb. 22, 2008, the entirecontents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a power amplification device making itpossible to simplify a connecting mechanism for a distributor and asynthesizer, and a transmitter using the power amplification device.

BACKGROUND

A solid-state transmitter that is a transmitter using a semiconductor ischaracteristic of a small output per unit. Therefore, multiplesolid-state transmitters are used in combination in order to provide adesired output power.

However, when multiple solid-state transmitters are combined, atransmitter body gets larger.

From this viewpoint, a technology for decreasing the size of thetransmitter body by arranging the solid-state transmitters on the frontside of a housing and the rear side thereof has been proposed (refer to,for example, JP-A-9-275350).

However, the above technology has failed to fully downsize the housing.This is attributable to the complexity in the connecting structure foruse in connecting the solid-state transmitters to a distributor and asynthesizer alike.

FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C show a conventional power amplification unit 10A.FIG. 4A is a front view of the conventional power amplification unit10A, FIG. 4B is a bottom view of an assembly of the conventional poweramplification units 10A, and FIG. 4C is a back view of the conventionalpower amplification unit 10A.

As shown in FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C, the conventional power amplificationunit 10A has an input connector 14 located by the side of an inputterminal 13A, and has an output connector 15 located by the side of anoutput terminal 12A.

When a heat sink 16 is abutted on the heat radiation surfaces of thepower amplification units 10A, one input connector 14 and one outputconnector 15 are, as shown in FIG. 4B, disposed on the right and leftside of the assembly of the power amplification units.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of a transmitter using the conventional poweramplification unit 10A. As shown in FIG. 5, an input line 31 led from adistributor 22A and an output line 32 fed to a synthesizer 21A intersecteach other. Since this wiring is needed, a space for the wirings has tobe preserved. This wiring hinders downsizing of the transmitter body.

SUMMARY

In an aspect of the present invention, the power amplification deviceincludes: a first power amplification unit including a first poweramplifier whose heat radiation surface, input terminal, and outputterminal have a certain positional relationship, a first input connectordisposed by the side of the first output terminal of the first poweramplifier, a first output connector disposed by the side of the firstinput terminal of the first power amplifier, a first output lead thatconnects the first output terminal and first output connector, and afirst input lead that connects the first input terminal and first inputconnector; a second power amplification unit including a second poweramplifier whose heat radiation surface, input terminal, and outputterminal have the same positional relationship as that of the firstpower amplifier, a second output connector disposed by the side of thesecond output terminal of the second power amplifier, a second inputconnector disposed by the side of the second input terminal of thesecond power amplifier, a second output lead that connects the secondoutput terminal and second output connector, and a second input leadthat connects the second input terminal and second input connector; anda heat sink that has a first flank thereof abutted on the heat radiationsurface of the first power amplification unit and has a second flankthereof abutted on the heat radiation surface of the second poweramplification unit.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a front view of a first power amplification unit;

FIG. 1B is a front view of a second power amplification unit;

FIG. 1C is a bottom view of a power amplification device;

FIG. 1D is an A-A sectional view of the power amplification unit shownin FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a transmitter using the power amplificationdevice of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of connectors employed in the embodiment;

FIG. 4A is a front view of a conventional power amplification unit;

FIG. 4B is a bottom view of an assembly of the conventional poweramplification units;

FIG. 4C is a back view of the conventional power amplification unit; and

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of a transmitter using the conventional poweramplification unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Throughout this description, the embodiments and examples shown shouldbe considered as exemplars, rather than limitations on the apparatus andmethods of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, an embodiment of a power amplification devicein accordance with the present invention and a transmitter using thepower amplification device will be described below. In the drawings, thesame reference numerals are assigned to the same components. Aniterative description will be omitted.

FIG. 1A to FIG. 1D show a power amplification device 1 of the presentembodiment. FIG. 1A is a front view of a first power amplification unit10. FIG. 1B is a front view of a second power amplification unit 17.FIG. 1C is a bottom view of the power amplification device 1. FIG. 1D isan A-A sectional view of the power amplification unit shown in FIG. 1A.

As shown in FIG. 1A to FIG. 1C, the power amplification device 1includes the first power amplification unit 10, the second poweramplification unit 17, and a heat sink 16.

The first power amplification unit 10 has an input connector 151disposed by the side of an output terminal of a first power amplifier111, and has an output connector 141 disposed by the side of an inputterminal 13 of the first power amplifier 111.

In the first power amplification unit 10, a first input cable 131connecting the input terminal 13 and input connector 151 intersects afirst output cable 121 connecting the output terminal 12 and outputconnector 141.

The second power amplification unit 17 has an output connector 142disposed by the side of an output terminal 18 of a second poweramplifier 112, and has an input connector 152 by the side of an inputterminal 19 of the second power amplifier 112.

In the second power amplification unit 17, a second input cable 191connecting the input terminal 19 and input connector 152 does notintersect a second output cable 181 connecting the output terminal 18and output connector 142.

Preferably, the first power amplifier 111 and second power amplifier 112are identical to each other so that the output signals thereof will bein phase with each other.

The first input cable 131 and second input cable 191 have nearly thesame length so that the input signals of the first and second poweramplifiers will be in phase with each other. If a phase shifter isconnected on the second input cable 191, the first input cable 131 andsecond input cable 191 may have mutually different lengths.

The first output cable 121 and second output cable 181 have nearly thesame length so that the output signals of the first and second poweramplifiers will be in phase with each other. If a phase shifter isconnected on the second output cable 181, the first output cable 121 andsecond output cable 181 may have mutually different lengths.

In the present embodiment, for power amplification, the phases ofsignals passing through the first power amplification unit 10 and thesecond power amplification unit 17 have to be equal to each other. Thefirst power amplifier 111 and the second power amplifier 112 arerealized with identical power amplifiers, the phases of signals passingover the first input cable 131 and the second input cable 191 aresquared with each other, and the phases of signals passing over thefirst output cable 121 and the second output cable 181 are squared witheach other, whereby the phases of signals passing through the firstpower amplification unit 10 and the second power amplification unit 17become equal to each other.

The heat sink 16 has the first flank thereof abutted on the heatradiation surface of the first power amplification unit 10, and has thesecond flank thereof abutted on the heat radiation surface of the secondpower amplification unit 17.

As shown in FIG. 1C, on the bottom of the power amplification device 1,the input connector 151 of the first power amplification unit 10 and theinput connector 152 of the second power amplification unit 17 aredisposed by the side of the right flank of the power amplificationdevice 1. The output connector 141 of the first power amplification unit10 and the output connector 142 of the second power amplification unit17 are disposed by the side of the left flank of the power amplificationdevice 1 opposed to the right flank thereof.

As shown in FIG. 1D, the first power amplification unit 10 has the firstpower amplifier 111 incorporated in a housing thereof. The first poweramplifier 111 has a power amplification circuit 115 and a heat radiationpanel 116. The heat radiation panel 116 is in contact with the heatradiation surface 117.

Heat generated by the power amplification circuit 115 is transmitted tothe heat radiation panel 116, transmitted to the heat sink 16 throughthe heat radiation surface 117, and radiated from the heat sink 16.

A B-B sectional view of the second power amplification unit 17 shown inFIG. 1B is the vertical reverse of the one of FIG. 1D.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a transmitter 2 using the power amplificationdevice 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the transmitter2 includes multiple power amplification devices 1, a distributor 22directly coupled to the input connectors of the multiple poweramplification devices 1, and a synthesizer 21 directly coupled to theoutput connectors of the multiple power amplification devices 1.

The multiple power amplification devices 1 are directly connected to thedistributor 22 and synthesizer 21 through the connectors without use ofany cable.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of connectors employed in the presentembodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the connectors include a femaleconnector 210 and a male connector 220.

The female connector 210 is shielded with a dielectric 211, and includesa female center conductor 212 that has a notch, of which section isshaped like a letter V, formed at the end thereof, and a metallic femalejoint body 213 that is formed outside the dielectric 211 and has anotch, of which section is shaped like a letter V, formed therein.

The male connector 220 is shielded with a dielectric 221, and includes amale center conductor 222 having the end part thereof sharpened so thatthe section of the end part will be shaped like a letter V, and ametallic male joint body 223 that is formed outside the dielectric 221and has the end part thereof sharpened so that the section of the endpart will be shaped like a letter V.

The female connector 210 is attached to the power amplification device1, and the male connector 220 is attached to each of the synthesizer 21and distributor 22. For connection of the power amplification device 1to the distributor 22 and synthesizer 21 alike, the male connector 220is fitted into the female connector 210. Thus, the power amplificationdevice is directly connected to the distributor 22 and synthesizer 21alike without use of a cable.

As mentioned above, the power amplification device of the presentembodiment includes the first power amplification unit 10 having thepositions of the connectors thereof reversed, the second poweramplification unit 17 that does not have the positions of the connectorsthereof reversed, and the heat sink 16 having the first flank thereofabutted on the heat radiation surface of the first power amplificationunit 10 and having the second flank thereof abutted on the heatradiation surface of the second power amplification unit 17. Thetransmitter 2 using the power amplification device 1 includes themultiple power amplification devices 1, the distributor 22 directlycoupled to the input connectors 151 and 152 of the multiple poweramplification devices 1, and the synthesizer 21 directly coupled to theoutput connectors 141 and 142 of the multiple power amplificationdevices 1.

The connection wiring among the power amplification device 1,distributor 22, and synthesizer 21 can be simplified, and downsizing andreduction in a cost can be achieved. In addition, since a connectingpart need not be used, a loss caused by radiofrequency amplification canbe decreased and performance can be improved.

The present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiment. Any ofthe components of the present invention can be modified without adeparture from the gist of the invention. The components disclosed inthe embodiment may be appropriately combined in order to constitutevarious inventions. For example, some of the components included in theembodiment may be excluded. Further, the components of differentembodiments may be appropriately combined.

Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in theart that a number of changes, modifications, or alterations to theinvention as described herein may be made, none of which depart from thespirit of the present invention. All such changes, modifications, andalterations should therefore be seen as within the scope of the presentinvention.

1. A transmitter comprising: a plurality of power amplification deviceseach of the plurality of power amplification devices including a firstpower amplification unit having a first input connector, a first outputconnector, a first heat radiation surface, and a first power amplifier,the first power amplifier having a first input terminal and a firstoutput terminal, the first input terminal and the first output terminalhaving a certain positional relationship, the first input terminal beingdisposed closer to the first output connector than to the first inputconnector, and the first output terminal being disposed closer to thefirst input connector than to the first output connector, a second poweramplification unit having a second input connector, a second outputconnector, a second heat radiation surface, and a second poweramplifier, the second power amplifier having a second input terminal anda second output terminal, the second input terminal and the secondoutput terminal having the same positional relationship as the firstinput terminal and the first output terminal of the first poweramplifier, the second input terminal being disposed closer to the secondinput connector than to the second output connector, and the secondoutput terminal being disposed closer to second output connector than tothe second input connector, and a heat sink having a first flank and asecond flank, the first flank abutted on the first heat radiationsurface, and the second flank abutted on the second heat radiationsurface; a distributor directly coupled to each of the first inputconnectors and each of the second input connectors of the plurality ofpower amplification devices; and a synthesizer directly coupled to eachof the first output connectors and each of the second output connectorsof the plurality of power amplification devices.